Dear Fellow Trekker,
As I write, the day after Christmas, I want to shout “Merry Christmas” and a “Happy New Year”! Then, for anybody who will listen, another earth-shattering shout, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King.”

We Americans are not too big on kings, the earthly kind or unfortunately, the heavenly variety either. Kings somehow are above us, over us; they love to exploit us, love to rule us… or so we figure. This attitude really tracks well with our American individualism, view of equality, and desire for individual rights and freedom.

Yet, Christmas past is really an incredible story, a tale of two kings. The one, Herod the Great, somewhat an imposter within Jewish culture 2000 years ago, is best remembered for slaughtering all Jewish boys under the age of two. Oppression, to be sure. Feared, for certain! His legacy? What legacy, you might say!

The other king… anyone but a king! No royal trappings; kings are not born in manure-filled stables. Earthbound kings don’t leave their thrones for much of anything; they don’t serve others; they don’t die for others. Jesus, the little fellow who survived the first-century holocaust, became a remarkable boy, a compassionate savior of his people, and a triumphant victor over life and death. What a King! He did leave His throne when he came to earth for me. What a legacy!

The word legacy, however, has always been a bit troublesome to me. I feel somewhat uncomfortable when the subject is broached. Recently a well-meaning brother was speaking of leaving a legacy and challenging young military officers to do similarly. Over the years others have spoken often of leaving a legacy. I am not so sure we need to worry about legacies; our job is to be faithful. Friends, let me deliver a blunt message as we close out the year. There is no legacy in life other than Jesus Christ. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. “His power and glory evermore shall reign”, I sang Christmas eve in our chapel rendition of “O Holy Night”. You and I will leave nothing on the table or at our bedside when the last breath is drawn, except Jesus Christ. We inherited Him from our forefathers and generations long forgotten. Jesus is forever “I AM”, the only true contemporary of every age. Our legacy apart from Jesus…why, we have nothing to leave. For those who try, let me let you in on a little “secret”. In just a few generations, you will be a nobody even to those who bear your name. Sobering and humbling, but true indeed.

Perhaps you are thinking, “Jim, you sound almost cynical about the value of life itself.” Well, yes and no! From dust we came and to dust we shall return. Yet, in Christ, we shall live consciously forever with the Lord. That is the blessed Hope, for in Christ, heaven begins on earth. The purpose of faith is not to make us feel good; the function of faith is to lift up Jesus only, who beneficently, desires to make us intrinsically good, giving us a “new heart”, just like Himself. The concept of legacy is not to make oneself look good or generous or successful after we have passed by. We have nothing of lasting value to hand down, except faith in Jesus alone. Life is a gift to be spent in celebration, not handled as if we possessed anything of value apart from the Savior. Legacies are only about “passing the baton”, Jesus, to the next generation, His might to all who are to come.

For sure, 2005 taught us again, we don’t engineer outcomes, particularly big picture ones, like our environment. Our job is simply to be faithful (I Cor.4:2). So, how does one enter the New Year cycle? Hopefully, we enter 2006 the same way we have passed through another Christmas celebration… ever seeking Jesus, worshipping Him as we find Him, and obeying Him as he leads us. The Magi were wise because they sought Jesus, worshipped Him, and obeyed the Spirit, not the voice of a sinful, alienated king.

In practice, as we begin our trip up the mountain, let me suggest a simple credo that I believe will bear the test of time and faith for true men. It is simple and straightforward… let us habitually do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason. Let us adopt a pattern, set a standard of faithful, steady, loving obedience. Appropriate outcomes have a way of taking care of themselves, since “His ways are not our ways”. (Isaiah 55)

What is the right thing? Whatever truly pleases Jesus! As He pleased the Father, we please the Son. It calls for integrity of purpose, boldness in execution, and a compassionate attitude concerning all we encounter. As stewards of the divine order, all of life is sacred and worthy of His touch through us, his followers. A good starting point… Paul nailed it when he said, “Rejoice always, pray without stopping, give thanks in everything.”

At the right time? That’s easy… when the Spirit prompts my spirit! That is the kairos moment of life, when the timing is Spirit exact. To delay when the Spirit prompts is to lose the covenanted Spirit initiative God desires for us. The right time… always when it is brought to our attention! When change is needed! When a need presents itself!

In the right way? The right way is always the way Christ did things… how he lived. It involves embracing the Divine, eternal perspective. It involves thinking relationally! What is the impact of my actions? It is always freed from vindictiveness or vendetta. “Getting even” is foreign language to “the right way”. The right way is always grace dispensing, forgiveness granting, challenging yet encouraging, and humbly deferring and serving.

For the right reason? It is all about Jesus and His legacy, not about us! What the human race does with Christ is life-and-death important; what it does with us in life or death is ultimately of no account. Paul again said it well… “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Let us not be poor caricatures turning off the world to Christ this coming year; may we truly be a “race of little Christs” (I love this phrase of Luther’s), representing Him well; accurately, completely, reverently and passionately. May we turn on our world with the timeless challenge, echoing Paul, “be reconciled to God”, for He has reconciled us to Himself for all time.

Fellow trekker, that is the way I see it for the New Year. But remember, seeing is not believing! Believing only is seeing! Without seeing via the light of Christ, the world won’t ever “get it.” The world will not see Him! As the Son revealed the Father, we must reveal the Son! Let’s go for it!! And during our trek up the mountain, as we ourselves encounter the Lion King of Judah, as we inevitably will, remember ”He is not tame, but He is good.” (C.S. Lewis)

Your fellow trekker,
Jim Meredith